Puppy Love
by KaitieD
Summary: Tony comes home from a long day at work to find that Steve has a surprise for him.


Tony unlocked the door to the penthouse, tossing his coat on the rack next to the entrance. He sighed, rubbing his forehead, feeling the headache that had been growing steadily throughout the day. Too many hours spent staring at screens and blueprints, not to mention the meetings he was forced to sit through, and this was the result.

"Hey babe, you're home!"

Tony looked up, seeing Steve walking towards him across the living room. He found himself wrapped in Steve's arms as he gave Tony a lingering kiss. "I've missed you."

Tony pulled back, narrowing his eyes at Steve.

"What?"

"Don't what me, Rogers" Tony said, knowing that something was up. Steve was always happy to see him, but he never got greeted like this. He was no fool, he could tell when he was being buttered up for something. "What is it? Have we been invited to another charity gala? You know how much I hate those things."

"No, don't worry, we don't have any social engagements coming up. You have turned down the last however many though, so we really should go to the next one. We can talk about that later though. You want something to drink? Or are you hungry? I've got dinner in the oven, but we've still got a while before its ready."

Tony continued eyeing Steve suspiciously as he kicked off his shoes and walked further into the room.

"I think I'm just going to go get changed first" he said, heading for the bedroom.

"No, wait –"

"Why?" Tony said, spinning around to look at Steve, surprised by the panic in his voice. "What? Am I going to find someone hiding in the closet?" He didn't actually believe that, but did enjoy the outraged face Steve made.

"Of course not."

"Then what?" He rubbed his forehead again. "I just want to change, take some aspirin and maybe lay down for a little while; my head is killing me."

"Ok, well, I may have done something today" Steve said, speaking slowly, trying to delay the inevitable. "Nothing bad, really."

"Uh huh" Tony said impatiently.

"It's just, I was at the park and there was this…puppy and –"

"Tell me you didn't."

Steve's gaze dropped to the ground and he fidgeted, uncharacteristically nervous about upsetting Tony. He knew that bringing home the dog wasn't going to go over well, but hoped that Tony would see how cute it was and grow to love it. Or at least tolerate it.

"I did."

Tony sighed loudly, shaking his head.

"I'm sorry" Steve said, genuinely. "I didn't plan on it, but I couldn't just leave her there by herself."

"So where is it?"

"In our room. I got a little pen set up with newspapers and everything, so she won't make a mess and we can decide what to do with her…if you don't want her to stay."

Tony wasn't happy, but he could see the excitement Steve was trying to downplay and knew that he'd wanted a dog for a while. Their lifestyle wasn't ideal for a pet, which he always reminded Steve of, but if it made him happy, they could at least give it a try.

"Let me see it" Tony said, shoulders slumping in defeat. Steve beamed at him, grabbing his hand and pulling him down the hallway to their room.

He could hear the newspapers rustling as they opened the door and the dog realized they were there. Its barks came out in tiny squeaks as its tail wagged rapidly. Staring down at it, Tony did have to admit that it was pretty cute. It was a puppy, but an older one as was bigger than he expected, about calf-high. Its fur was short and fluffy, a light tan color than suggested it was at least part golden retriever.

"What if it belongs to someone and they're looking for it?"

"I figured I'd put up some signs and keep an eye out. I guess JARVIS can scan anything online about a missing dog…" Steve said, unenthusiastically. He picked the puppy up, lifting it so they were face to face and laughing as it licked his nose.

Tony just shook his head, trying to resist the adorable scene in front of him. "You said it's a girl?"

"I think so" Steve nodded.

"Did you name it already?"

"No, I thought that if we kept her, you could come up with it, or we could pick one together."

Tony locked eyes with Steve, seeing how pleased he was having the puppy wriggling in his arms and how much he wanted Tony to feel the same. "Oh alright, let me see it" he said, holding out his hands. He took the puppy gently from Steve, holding it close to his body so she wouldn't squirm right out of his arms. She yapped happily at him, trying to reach his face to lick his cheek.

"Fine" Tony said, staring down at the wiggly little ball of fur. "We can keep her. For now."

"Thank you, Tony" Steve said, coming over and kissing him on the cheek.


End file.
